Note: This is part 4 of a continuing series of my experiences in PoliSci 137B, taught by A.J. Gregor.Today, we began to cover what Gregor called “the core material” of the class. That is, we actually started talking significantly about China itself rather than concepts such as Capitalism, Imperialism, Marxism or Fascism in general.

One of the more interesting tidbits of info he gave, in order to illustrate the ways that a non-industrial society reacts in response to contact with a vastly more powerful industrial entity, was that of the cultural aesthetics of beauty in China:

Can anyone here guess what the most common surgical procedure now in China is? What’s the most common surgery that’s performed in this country with all kinds of people who have almost no access to medicine and are sorely in need of treatment for myriad conditions?

Boobjobs. The most common surgical procedure in China today is the artificial enhancement of the bustline. Now, you might say that’s startling in and of itself, that in a country where there is so much rampant poverty and sickness, that a thing like that would be so common, but much more significant is the fact that, before they came into contact with the industrialized West, large breasts weren’t even something to be proud of on a Chinese woman . It wasn’t part of their aesthetic. You can find these things out by looking at the history of erotic Chinese literature, and let me tell you, there’s no shortage of the stuff. The Chinese liked their porn, even three hundred years ago.

And if you look through this stuff, they mention lots of things about the women: about how white their skin is, or how black their hair is, but almost nothing about breasts. The hair especially… one of the ways the Chinese classically refer to themselves is “the black-haired people,” and it was an important part of their aesthetic of beauty . And the last time I went to China, it wasn’t hard to find a blond chinese person. There were lots of them. In the cities at least.

That’s one thing you always have to remmeber about China: the place is so huge and much of the countryside is so remote that being in the countryside is like being on a different planet compared to the Gold Coast area. On one of my trips, I met people in the North Western provinces who still thought there was an emperor!

And these people no doubt thought I was horrendously ugly. Probably a lot of you think that too, ok so I’m not a very attractive guy. But even if someone who we all, with our standards of beauty, considered attractive had gone to these places, the Chinese in those towns would most likely think they were butt ugly. That’s the same reaction to Europeans that the sophisticated city dwellers had hundreds of years ago when they first saw Europeans . I’ve seen the pictures and read the descriptions from Chinese who were there. They talk about how huge and hideous the noses are, and how you can see their gross, gaping pores. And all the pictures are these weird characitures of curly red and brown hair, gigantic eyes and noses and dots all over their bodies to show the larger pores. These things put Western stereotypes of Chinese people (you know all that Fu Manchu stuff) to shame.

But now, after all this cultural exchange, during which China was always explicitly the subordinate power up until about 60 years ago (and is now still very culturally inferior – if you doubt that just look at all the movies they pirate from us)… now Chinese women are upset because many of them feel “unendowed,” after watching Western movies . And they think their hair is too dark. This is a dangerous thing on basic psychological terms.

There was a study published about the Jews in one of the Nazi concentration camps that revealed there was a significant element of prisoners in these camps who actively imitated the SS guards, trying to make their hats and clothes look like the Nazi uniforms. They still hated them, but also tried to emulate them. It’s sad, sick, disgusting stuff, but it’s a recurring psychological trait to try to copy that which is oppressing you, and the fact that they are being horribly injured at the same time by these oppressers causes a severe ambivilance in the mind, which naturally gives rise to anger.

It’s the same deal in the countries of the Middle East. We don’t oppress them the same way the British oppressed China, but we make them look bad. We out-do them in every way, and yet they still want to experience all the sensuous pleasures of Western culture and want to live in America . And it pisses them off. And that’s where you really find these kinds of extreme, violent reactionary forces that, under certain conditions, can give rise to a Marxist movement. Marxism doesn’t happen in industrialized countries. Marx was a complete dolt who had no idea what he was talking about. Where a Marxist-type revolution happens is in countries that are in the process of development, like Russia and China.

That’s all I can remember with any degree of accuracy. More next week.

last update : 22-2-2018

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